What Motivates You? How to Answer This Tricky Interview Question (With Word-For-Word Examples)

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You’ve sailed through most of the interview, confidently answering questions about your experience and skills. Then suddenly, the interviewer leans forward and asks, “So, what motivates you?”

Your mind races. Do they want to hear about money? Growth? Making a difference? Is this a trick question?

The “what motivates you” question catches even the most prepared candidates off guard because it requires genuine self-reflection while simultaneously demanding a strategic response.

According to The Interview Guys, your answer to “What motivates you?” reveals your work values, potential cultural fit, and likelihood of long-term engagement with the company. It’s much more than a casual inquiry—it’s a multi-layered assessment tool used by savvy interviewers.

Most candidates fail this question by giving generic, superficial answers (“I’m motivated by success!”) or focusing exclusively on compensation or advancement. These responses miss a crucial opportunity to demonstrate your value alignment with the organization.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a proven framework to craft a genuine, impressive answer that aligns with both your authentic motivators and the company’s values—plus word-for-word examples that you can customize for your next interview.

☑️ Key Takeaways

  • Your answer must balance authenticity with relevance to the job. Interviewers can spot generic or insincere responses immediately.
  • The most effective answers follow the PSRC Formula: identify your Primary motivator, provide Supporting context, share a Relevant example, and Connect to the company.
  • Avoid solely focusing on money, advancement, or perks as motivators. Instead, emphasize intrinsic drivers like purpose, mastery, challenge, or meaningful impact.
  • Always prepare for follow-up questions that probe deeper into your motivation claims, as this indicates high interviewer interest in your candidacy.

What Are Interviewers Really Asking?

When interviewers ask what motivates you, they’re not just making conversation. They’re strategically evaluating three critical dimensions:

1. Cultural Alignment

Your motivators are a window into your values and whether they mesh with the company’s culture. For instance, if you’re motivated by independent problem-solving but the company thrives on collaborative teamwork, that could signal a potential mismatch.

2. Sustainability of Motivation

Hiring managers want to know if your motivation will endure beyond the honeymoon phase. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that candidates who can articulate genuine, intrinsic motivators are more likely to maintain high performance over time compared to those driven primarily by external rewards.

3. Self-Awareness Check

Your answer demonstrates your level of self-reflection and emotional intelligence. Can you thoughtfully analyze what drives you and communicate it effectively?

Generic answers like “I’m motivated by success” or “I want to be the best” fail because they provide zero insight into your unique drivers and values. They’re interview equivalent of empty calories—they fill space but provide no nutritional value to the conversation.

For deeper insights into the psychological dynamics of interview questions, check out The Psychology of Job Interviews, where we break down what’s really happening on both sides of the table.

The Motivation Matrix: Types of Professional Motivators

Professional motivators are the core drivers that energize and sustain workplace performance and satisfaction. Understanding your authentic motivators is essential before you can convincingly communicate them to an interviewer.

A groundbreaking study published in Management and Organizational Studies demonstrates that people who can clearly identify their core motivators report significantly higher career satisfaction and tend to stay in roles much longer than those who can’t articulate what drives them.

Let’s explore the five primary categories of professional motivators:

Achievement-Oriented Motivators

You thrive on:

  • Setting and reaching challenging goals
  • Measurable success and recognition
  • Competition and overcoming obstacles
  • Seeing tangible results from your efforts

Example statement: “I’m driven by the satisfaction of setting ambitious targets and developing strategic paths to reach them.”

Growth-Oriented Motivators

You thrive on:

  • Learning new skills and knowledge
  • Taking on increasing responsibility
  • Personal and professional development
  • Intellectual challenges and problem-solving

Example statement: “What gets me out of bed every morning is the opportunity to expand my capabilities and tackle problems that push me to develop new skills.”

Social-Oriented Motivators

You thrive on:

  • Building meaningful workplace relationships
  • Collaborating with diverse teams
  • Mentoring and helping others develop
  • Creating positive work environments

Example statement: “I find my greatest satisfaction in building strong teams where each member can contribute their unique strengths toward a common goal.”

Purpose-Oriented Motivators

You thrive on:

  • Making meaningful impact on others
  • Alignment with personal values and beliefs
  • Contributing to something larger than yourself
  • Creating positive change in the world

Example statement: “Knowing that my work directly improves people’s lives gives me a sense of purpose that fuels my commitment and creativity.”

Stability-Oriented Motivators

You thrive on:

  • Structure and predictability
  • Clear expectations and processes
  • Building expertise through consistent practice
  • Creating efficiencies and improvements within systems

Example statement: “I’m motivated by identifying inefficiencies in processes and methodically improving them to create stable, reliable systems.”

Interview Guys Tip: The most compelling “what motivates you” answers blend multiple motivator types while emphasizing one primary driver. This approach demonstrates self-awareness while keeping your answer focused.

To identify your authentic motivators, ask yourself:

  • What work activities make you lose track of time?
  • When have you felt most fulfilled professionally?
  • What accomplishments are you most proud of and why?
  • What aspects of work energize rather than drain you?

The Golden Response Formula

Now that you understand what motivates you, it’s time to craft an answer that communicates it effectively. The most impactful responses follow our PSRC Formula:

  1. Primary Motivator – Clearly state your main motivation category
  2. Supporting Context – Provide brief personal context for why this motivates you
  3. Relevant Example – Share a specific story that demonstrates this motivation in action
  4. Connect to Role/Company – Link your motivator to the position and organization

This structure works because it balances personal authenticity with professional relevance. It gives interviewers insight into your character while showing how your motivations will benefit their organization.

The formula should be customized based on industry expectations:

  • Creative fields: Emphasize the passion and purpose aspects
  • Technical roles: Focus on problem-solving and growth motivators
  • Leadership positions: Highlight social and achievement drivers
  • Service industries: Blend purpose and social motivations

For more proven response structures, check out our comprehensive guide to Interview Answer Templates that can be adapted for various questions.

Word-For-Word Example Answers

Below are sample answers across different motivation categories. Remember to use these as inspirational templates rather than scripts—your authentic voice and specific experiences should shine through.

Achievement-Oriented Example (Sales/Competitive Field)

“I’m primarily motivated by setting and achieving ambitious goals. Since my college athletics days, I’ve thrived on the process of identifying targets just beyond my current capabilities and systematically working to reach them. For example, in my last role, I challenged myself to convert 25% more of our cold leads than the previous quarter. I created a detailed improvement plan, studied our top performers, and refined my approach weekly. Not only did I hit my 25% increase goal, but the process I developed was adopted by our whole team. At your company, I’m excited about your aggressive market expansion targets—that’s exactly the kind of ambitious goal that brings out my best work.”

Growth-Oriented Example (Tech/Innovation Field)

“What truly motivates me is continuous learning and intellectual challenge. I’ve always been drawn to situations where I need to master new skills and technologies. For instance, when our company decided to migrate to a microservices architecture, I volunteered to lead the transition for my team despite having limited experience in that area. I devoted evenings to studying the new approach, connected with experts in other departments, and eventually implemented a solution that reduced our deployment failures by 40%. Looking at the innovative projects your team is tackling with machine learning applications, I see endless opportunities for that same kind of challenging growth that keeps me engaged and performing at my best.”

Purpose-Oriented Example (Healthcare/Nonprofit)

“Making meaningful differences in people’s lives is what motivates me most deeply. This drive developed when I was caring for a family member with a chronic illness and experienced firsthand how quality healthcare transforms not just patients but entire families. In my current role as a patient advocate, I implemented a post-discharge follow-up program that decreased readmission rates by 23%. The most rewarding moment wasn’t the statistics, though—it was receiving letters from elderly patients who could now manage their care with confidence. Your hospital’s focus on community health education aligns perfectly with my belief that empowering patients creates ripple effects throughout entire communities.”

Social-Oriented Example (Team Leadership/Customer Service)

“I’m fundamentally motivated by building cohesive teams where people feel valued and can do their best work. This drive stems from early career experiences where I saw how dramatically team dynamics affected performance and wellbeing. In my current management role, I noticed our department was operating in silos, so I established cross-functional lunch sessions and collaborative projects. Within six months, interdepartmental communication improved by 60%, and our employee satisfaction scores increased across all teams. When I read about your company’s commitment to collaborative culture and saw the emphasis on cross-department innovation in this position, I immediately recognized an environment where my motivation to build strong teams would thrive.”

Stability-Oriented Example (Finance/Operations)

“I’m motivated by creating order from chaos and building reliable systems that stand the test of time. This drive developed during my first job at a rapidly growing startup where I saw how lack of standardized processes created unnecessary stress and errors. In my current operations role, I led a project to document and optimize our fulfillment workflows, resulting in a 32% reduction in processing time and virtually eliminating costly errors. The methodical approach required wasn’t flashy, but creating a system that continued performing efficiently even during our busiest season gave me immense satisfaction. Your company’s reputation for operational excellence and your current initiative to streamline the client onboarding process mentioned in the job description align perfectly with what drives my best work.”

Interview Guys Tip: Never memorize these examples verbatim. Instead, use them as structural templates and inject your authentic experiences and language. Interviewers can spot rehearsed answers immediately.

Red Flags and Pitfalls to Avoid

Even with the right formula, certain responses can raise red flags for interviewers. Avoid these common pitfalls:

Money-Focused Answers

While financial security motivates everyone to some degree, making it your primary stated motivator suggests limited engagement beyond a paycheck. If compensation truly is important to you, frame it in terms of recognition and achievement: “I’m motivated by environments that recognize high performance and reward exceptional results.”

Vague or Generic Responses

Answers like “I’m motivated by success” or “I like challenges” are too generic to be meaningful. Always specify what success means to you or what types of challenges energize you, backed by specific examples.

Short-Term Thinking

Responses focused on quick wins without sustainable motivation raise concerns about your longevity with the company. Always include elements that demonstrate your interest in ongoing engagement.

Cultural Misalignment

Expressing motivators that directly conflict with the company’s known values signals poor research or fit. For example, emphasizing independent work at a company known for its collaborative approach.

Desperation Signals

Answers that suggest you’ll do absolutely anything to get the job indicate low standards and potential dissatisfaction once hired. Maintain professional boundaries even while showing enthusiasm.

For more insights on what turns recruiters off, see our analysis of Why Recruiters Are Skipping Your LinkedIn Profile.

Tailoring Your Answer to Different Companies

While authenticity is crucial, smart candidates customize their message for different organizations without compromising honesty. Here’s how:

Research Company Values

Before your interview, thoroughly investigate:

  • The company’s mission and values statements
  • Recent press releases and leadership interviews
  • Employee reviews on sites like Glassdoor
  • Social media presence and content themes

Find Authentic Connection Points

Look for genuine overlaps between your motivators and company priorities. If a company values innovation and you’re motivated by creative problem-solving, that’s a natural connection to emphasize.

Example: Customizing for Different Companies

Here’s how the same core motivation (making meaningful impact) might be customized for three different organizations:

  • For a tech startup: “Making meaningful impact through innovation motivates me. I find it energizing to develop solutions that change how people interact with technology. For example…”
  • For a financial institution: “I’m motivated by creating meaningful impact through financial security. I’m driven by helping clients build stable futures through smart financial decisions. For instance…”
  • For a healthcare provider: “What motivates me is making meaningful impact on patient outcomes. I find deep satisfaction in work that directly improves quality of life. In my previous role…”

For deeper insights into decoding company culture from job descriptions, visit The Hidden Job Description Analyzer.

Interview Guys Tip: The best answers reveal a genuine motivator that happens to align with the company’s needs—not the other way around. Start with authenticity, then find the connection points.

Handling Follow-Up Questions

Strong initial answers often prompt interviewers to dig deeper. Be prepared for these common follow-ups:

“Can you tell me about a time when you lost motivation?”

This assesses your self-awareness and resilience. A good response acknowledges a real challenge, explains what you learned, and describes how you reestablished your motivation.

“How do your motivations align with this position specifically?”

This tests whether you’ve considered the day-to-day reality of the role. Reference specific responsibilities from the job description and connect them to your motivational drivers.

“How has what motivates you changed over time?”

This evaluates your capacity for growth and self-reflection. Discuss your evolution while maintaining consistency in your core values.

“How do you stay motivated during routine tasks?”

This explores your attitude toward necessary but potentially mundane responsibilities. Connect these tasks to your larger motivational framework or discuss process-improvement motivations.

The key to successful follow-ups is preparation without sounding rehearsed. Consider likely probes based on your initial answer and prepare thoughtful, specific responses.

Conclusion

Your answer to “What motivates you?” is far more than a quick interview exchange—it’s a strategic opportunity to demonstrate alignment, self-awareness, and sustainable engagement potential.

According to The Interview Guys, the most successful responses balance authenticity with relevance, using the PSRC Formula to create a compelling narrative that resonates with interviewers on multiple levels.

Remember that interviewers aren’t looking for candidates who will say anything to get hired. They’re seeking professionals who understand their own drivers and can articulate how those motivations will translate to value for the organization.

Prepare thoughtfully, practice naturally, and present your genuine motivators with confidence. By following the frameworks and examples in this guide, you’ll transform this potentially tricky question into a powerful moment of connection in your next interview.


BY THE INTERVIEW GUYS (JEFF GILLIS & MIKE SIMPSON)


Mike Simpson: The authoritative voice on job interviews and careers, providing practical advice to job seekers around the world for over 12 years.

Jeff Gillis: The technical expert behind The Interview Guys, developing innovative tools and conducting deep research on hiring trends and the job market as a whole.


This May Help Someone Land A Job, Please Share!